Museum manager Rosemary Harden said the exhibition's main attraction would be the cantaloupe silk outfit worn by Diana as a young bride in July 1981.

She said: "This special display at the Fashion Museum celebrates both the gift of the design archive to the museum, and the success of three extraordinary designers - Belinda Bellville, David Sassoon, and Lorcan Mullany - who together have run this uniquely British fashion house for over 50 years."

Bellville Sassoon was a favourite of Princess Diana and their dresses have also been worn by Princess Anne, Princess Margaret and Audrey Hepburn.

The outfits are part of 25 dresses selected by fashion icon David Sassoon [GETTY]

Designs of the high end British label, which was founded in 1951, have featured on the cover of Vogue and Harper's magazine.

Ben Stevens, cabinet member for sustainable development, said: "This exhibition is designed to appeal to all - from the fashion-conscious to fans of celebrity, or those with an interest in how styles have changed in the recent past.

"The Fashion Museum houses one of the world's great museum collections of historic and fashionable dress. This unique archive of Bellville Sassoon designs is a perfect example of why the museum has been designated as having a collection of outstanding national significance."